Islay

After the exertion of climbing the Paps, I’m spending most of today travelling on buses, which is welcome as my back is sore from lunging sideways down all that scree. Windy, my weather app, flashes red — the inevitable balancing […]

On the final morning of this trip, I discuss my Oa hike with the cheerful lady serving coffee and croissants at the B&B. She took her children to the beautiful beach at Port an Eas, although the weather was rarely

The Oa peninsula is home to golden eagles, soaring above tall cliffs. There’s no footpath along the coast, so the plan is to hike cross-country, linking up with farm tracks, to the American Monument and the road bisecting the headland.

There’s a beautiful sunrise, so I nip out in my shorts, climb the small hill nearby and take a photo before preparing a bowl of raspberries and porridge from the warmth of my sleeping bag. Due to ongoing work at